I have to be completely honest. I did not know owls were this cool. The immaculate birds of prey are so stunning to look at and when they are animated and given so much movement and life it becomes a real treat. Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole is the fantastical story of a brave young owlet named Soren. Soren has big dreams of one day becoming a hero amongst owls because of the stories his father tells him about the legendary guardians of Ga'Hoole. One day Soren and his brother are captured by a group of evil owls called The Purists who kidnap owlets and brainwash them and turn them into slaves. Soren manages to escape with a young owl named Gylfie and the two set out to find the guardians and enlist their help the owlets, meeting all sorts of peculiar characters on the way. The movie is short and exciting and, while it seems like it is just another CGI talking animals kids movie, Zack Snyder's unique visual flare makes it much more than that.
I usually try to avoid talking animal movies, but having a name like Zack Snyder attached to this one made me curious enough to check it out. And now I'm actually glad I did. Snyder's visual finesse comes off very strong in this film. It isn't to the extreme that 300 or Sucker Punch possessed but it is still prevalent in every action scene full of slo-mo and enticing camera angles. And of course having all of the characters be owls opens up new doors to how action scenes can be shot. And it seems Snyder takes advantage of all these possibilities to make some truly visceral scenes full of sweeping airborne shots and gracious camera movement that captures every exciting moment this film has to offer.
But I have to take a couple steps back. Snyder's direction is impressive and all, but the thing about this film that is truly remarkable is the animation. The detail in ever individual feather is so incredible and it is almost frightening how good it is. It's beyond impressive how real everything looks in this movie. For owls the facial movements are fantastic and you never get the feeling the voices are just actors sitting behind a microphone. It fits so fluidly together that there are moments you forget these aren't actual owls. Plus the landscaping is animated so well, accentuating the characters while also being a beauty in and of itself. You don't see this kind of sincerely excellent CGI enough and when you do it is often used in excess to the point where it becomes distracting and obnoxious. For Legend of the Guardians it is really what makes the film good.
Sadly, it is evident a little too much effort went into the animation and not enough went towards the story. The film is based on a book that I read back in middle school so I have no earthly idea how true the film stayed to the original story. The plot isn't terrible but it is pretty straight forward and formulaic. It's predictable but one has to keep in mind that this is a kids film. It isn't striving to be complex and for what it's worth the whole plot creates an entertaining film. In a nutshell it is your basic good versus evil story with owls. Extremely well animated owls. The film's pacing is a little hurried and it doesn't allow for much character development and it rushes past certain storyline elements that needed more development. You just have to accept things for what they are in the film and just believe what the characters stay instead of dissecting their motives. Again, the film doesn't demand any sort of in depth analysis. It is just pure fun. If you want the fully fleshed out version of the story then read the book.
I really did enjoy this film. Visually it fits right in line with all of Snyder's other films which I have always enjoyed. You can't go into the film expecting a masterpiece but you can expect masterful animation that will absolutely stun you. If you put some faith into a movie about owls you can actually enjoy Legend of the Guardians. If you believe nothing good can come from a talking owl movie then you will most likely hate this film. I suppose it's just how it goes.
I usually try to avoid talking animal movies, but having a name like Zack Snyder attached to this one made me curious enough to check it out. And now I'm actually glad I did. Snyder's visual finesse comes off very strong in this film. It isn't to the extreme that 300 or Sucker Punch possessed but it is still prevalent in every action scene full of slo-mo and enticing camera angles. And of course having all of the characters be owls opens up new doors to how action scenes can be shot. And it seems Snyder takes advantage of all these possibilities to make some truly visceral scenes full of sweeping airborne shots and gracious camera movement that captures every exciting moment this film has to offer.
But I have to take a couple steps back. Snyder's direction is impressive and all, but the thing about this film that is truly remarkable is the animation. The detail in ever individual feather is so incredible and it is almost frightening how good it is. It's beyond impressive how real everything looks in this movie. For owls the facial movements are fantastic and you never get the feeling the voices are just actors sitting behind a microphone. It fits so fluidly together that there are moments you forget these aren't actual owls. Plus the landscaping is animated so well, accentuating the characters while also being a beauty in and of itself. You don't see this kind of sincerely excellent CGI enough and when you do it is often used in excess to the point where it becomes distracting and obnoxious. For Legend of the Guardians it is really what makes the film good.
Sadly, it is evident a little too much effort went into the animation and not enough went towards the story. The film is based on a book that I read back in middle school so I have no earthly idea how true the film stayed to the original story. The plot isn't terrible but it is pretty straight forward and formulaic. It's predictable but one has to keep in mind that this is a kids film. It isn't striving to be complex and for what it's worth the whole plot creates an entertaining film. In a nutshell it is your basic good versus evil story with owls. Extremely well animated owls. The film's pacing is a little hurried and it doesn't allow for much character development and it rushes past certain storyline elements that needed more development. You just have to accept things for what they are in the film and just believe what the characters stay instead of dissecting their motives. Again, the film doesn't demand any sort of in depth analysis. It is just pure fun. If you want the fully fleshed out version of the story then read the book.
I really did enjoy this film. Visually it fits right in line with all of Snyder's other films which I have always enjoyed. You can't go into the film expecting a masterpiece but you can expect masterful animation that will absolutely stun you. If you put some faith into a movie about owls you can actually enjoy Legend of the Guardians. If you believe nothing good can come from a talking owl movie then you will most likely hate this film. I suppose it's just how it goes.